If any Blockbusters are still not out of business, it's time for you guys to add a "Live-Action with Talking, CGI Rodents" section. THR is reporting the burgeoning, aggravating genre will be adding another title to its ranks, with The Illusionist writer/director Neil Burger adapting Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH for Paramount.

As you may recall, animator Don Bluth first attempted to bring the Newberry Medal-winning children's book to screens in the early '80s with The Secret of NIMH, shoehorning in some swords-and-sorcery elements that left children scratching their heads at the addition while also saying, "Rad--Swords! And Sorcery!" It's still unclear exactly what direction Burger's adaptation will take, but the involvement of a Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D producer and early (probably unfair) comparisons to Alvin and the Chipmunks are already worrisomeHopefully this version will stick closer to the book and its more serious, allegorical themes. Or at least get Robin Williams to the voice of the crow, and have a part where he gets hit in the balls and it makes his voice really high. Either would be enjoyable.

With the addition of a couple ninjas, a lady in a leather catsuit, and some bad guys with metal heads, this seven-minute battle would capture the spirit of G.I. Joe far better than anything I've seen in the trailers for the upcoming film. Just the kind of laser and missile-filled war I was envisioning as I positioned the rival forces of Joe and Cobra along opposite ends of the coffee table.

The clip is from the hard-to-find classic Megaforce, also notable for starring Barry Bostwick and having one of the greatest theme songs ever recorded:

There's a whole slew of post-apocalyptic films coming out in the next year, here's a new trailer for another one coming soon, all of them are trying to be as dirty, gritty, raw, barbaric, textured, stylish and Mad-Max-ish as possible, could be lots of fun. Watch it here.

Here's just some of the post-apocalyptic films that have come out in the past, there's at least two per year, some of them are fun and make out to be good classics most of the time they fall short. Storylines take place in the aftermath of a disaster - typically nuclear holocaust, war, plague - that justifies a civilization's turn towards dystopian like behaviors. Although not a requisite, most post-apocalyptic visions have a man-made cause.

Despite these menacing and dehumanising elements portrayed by a society in some dismal stories - it is really an attempt to depict a heterotopia, a society that is neither Utopian, nor entirely bad, but different from our own.

Such debates frequently surround literary and cinematic works that do not show the classic characteristics of dystopian fiction, such as a government like entity that seeks total control of individuals' lives.

July 28, 2009

Another reminder to stay non-bedridden until at least after October 16th: a new behind-the-scenes featurette for one of this fall's most anticipated releases, Where the Wild Things Are. In it, author Maurice Sendak voices his enthusiastic approval for Spike Jonze's adaptation, and draws parallels between himself and the director--plus, there's new, awe-inspiring footage. My expectations are reaching all time highs, I just can't wait to see this.

In the years between Back to the Future and Back to the Future II, Michael J. Fox visibly aged and the actress playing his girlfriend was replaced by Elizabeth Shue. Thus, to show the closing scene from the first film as the opening of the second, it was necessary to completely reshoot it. Dig?

Anyway, as you can see above, someone has made a side-by-side comparison of the sequence so you can now needlessly critique how well Robert Zemeckis and crew recreated the scene. The audio is layered together as well, and for some reason hearing a duet of Docs saying, in unison, "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need... roads," is utterly hypnotizing:

Luckily, the rest of the film holds up to intense scrutiny, and this is the only slight flaw.

July 25, 2009

Sean Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

A short film about a masked rebel driving a blue Gordini car in revolt of the totalitarian color ban. It was an official selection at Annecy this year, where it picked up the Jean-Luc Xiberras award for a first film, and below you can see a :30 second segment from this Prima Linea Productions short. [Via Lineboil]

Mike Valiquette's Canadian Animation Resources Website is increasingly become the hub of animation news, discussions, and industry updates for Canadian Animation Artists, here's Part 2 of Mark's Interview with M-A.

"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."- the story of stuff with annie leonard

This is an awesome short film, check it out, you won't be disappointed.Found on Pat's blog.

Couple years ago, I had posted the first Venture Brothers outfits from the Comic-Con
Check out this Flickr Group of new ones.
VB costumes are huge at conventions now, I love it! I wish I could make one for this Halloween.

Not so fast, Michael Jackson's corpse! There's still meat to suck off them bones!

Variety reports Sony is close to negotiating a $50 million deal that would allow them access to the 80 hours of footage of the late pop star's final rehearsals currently held by AEG Entertainment. If the deal goes through, the studio plans to release the rehearsal as a feature film that would also include "at least three videos, including an alternative version of Jackson's Thriller." (This version, perhaps?) Kenny Ortega, director of High School Musical, shot the rehearsal tapes and will likely direct.

Boy, I didn't care at all about seeing a Michael Jackson concert a month ago, but now that I know every Moonwalk will like watching a spirit shuffle backwards into his own waiting grave, sign me up! [Via iwatchstuff]

While his article is aimed at writers, his advice applies equally to animators and illustrators - and all freelancers for that matter. Here’s what he says:

Work every day

Don’t be too precious about it

Stop in the middle of an idea, not between ideas

Don’t research until you need to

Close all messaging software

Design Sponge is kicking off a new video web-series - Design by the Book. Kind of a Project Runway but with a bunch of Williamsburg designers. And instead of the Parsons School of Fashion, it’s set in (drum roll) the NY Public Library.The first episode is up and it’s got interviews with a bunch of interesting people. Notably:Mike Perry (5:00) - an illustrator/font-designer and author of Hand Job: A Catalog of Type.Julia Rothman (6:40) - a designer of beautiful patterns - [Via Drawn]

In this awesome post, Jillian Tamaki answers the question every artist dreads, Where do you get your ideas? She also points to this Frank Stockton article about inspiration. Both are great reads for any artist.Andrew over at puppetvision has some interesting advise on a recent blog post regarding Linear Income vs. Passive Income. In a nutshell, Linear is the regular old, paid-by-the-hour thing (or in animation; paid by-the-scene or by-the-second), Passive Income is the concept of creating one product, a podcast, writing an article, creating a book, or illustrating designs to sell on Cafepress. Whether it's through the selling of large volumes of something in which you created the one time, and thus keep generating income because of that work, or generating higher volume of profits based upon that written material, or recorded item, than this (of course) can generate far more cash for the freelance artist from home, read it here, it might peek your interest, and make you think about how you can make a website, book, podcast, something that can generate revenue through online advertising, or by the selling of large volumes of your work.

July 17, 2009

This may be somewhat dated, like around 30 years old, but I couldn't resist posting this unnatural photo most of the key Star Wars cast that's been going around (via Digg). How is it somehow more normal to see them dressed in fur, robes, and helmets than in regular clothes? I feel like I'm looking at the employees of an insanely mismatched, carnivalesque accounting firm.

Walter Crokite, the only person I'll ever trust to tell me anything, died in his Manhattan home Friday after succumbing to cerebral vascular disease. He was 92. From his longtime employer, CBS News:

Cronkite was the face of the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981, when stories ranged from the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to racial and anti-war riots, Watergate and the Iranian hostage crisis.

It was Cronkite who read the bulletins coming from Dallas when Kennedy was shot Nov. 22, 1963, interrupting a live CBS-TV broadcast of the soap opera "As the World Turns."

Cronkite was the broadcaster to whom the title "anchorman" was first applied, and he came so identified in that role that eventually his own name became the term for the job in other languages. (Swedish anchors are known as Kronkiters; In Holland, they are Cronkiters.)

In case you were worried the switch to stop-motion animation could lose some of Wes Anderson's signature stylization, this new photo should reassure you that we'll still be seeing the immaculate set design, symmetrical composition, and peculiar decor characteristic of the meticulous director. We're finally seeing what a Wes Anderson film would look like if we lived in a parallel universe populated by Star Foxes, and it thankfully isn't just this. Being a Wes Anderson fan myself, I can't wait to see this animated feature.

Last month's news of new Futurama episodes coming to Comedy Central has been downgraded from a "Good news, Everyone!" to a "Why must everything beautiful be destroyed?"

Forces of Geek is reporting that Futurama voice actors John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, and Maurice LaMarche are claiming 20th Century Fox is trying to re-cast much of the vocal talent. The studio has even put out casting calls:

[ DR. JOHN ZOIDBERG (ZOIDBERG) ]Dr. Zoidberg, a lobster-like alien, left his home planet of Decapod 10 to become a rich doctor but instead became the Planet Express staff doctor (doesnt pay so well). Zoidberg, who is usually shunned by the rest of the Planet Express crew, is always in search of his next meal. His skill as a surgeon, and basic knowledge of human anatomy, are often called into question. He secretly desires to become a stand-up comedian...SERIES REGULAR

July 13, 2009

Someone just reminded me of the fact that I never posted this film.
Beware... it's bloody and gorey for those who don't like that stuff.
But I found it to be incredibly awesome!

Halifax’s own Jason Eisener burst into the public eye a few years back with Hobo With a Shotgun - a fake trailer that won the Grindhouse contest sponsored by Robert Rodriguez and was subsequently added to North American prints of the double-bill feature. Hobo became an online sensation and fans began clamoring for whatever Eisener and crew would come up with next.

And what they came up with was Treevenge. An arborist’s nightmare, the coniferous revenge film turned the tables on everyone’s favorite holiday season by re-casting the humble Christmas Tree as the angry victim of an annual genocide with the time arriving to take revenge on the wielders of the axe. Treevenge is a blood soaked, splattery affair that provoked enormous reactions on the festival circuit, racking up awards by the armful as it screened at Sundance, Fantastic Fest, Fantasia, and too many others to name. With the main title art designed by my bud, Jim White and starring popular Nova Scotia actor Jonathan Torrens as the lead character, the only problem was that there was no way for audiences to actually see this short film outside of those festival appearances, until now!

July 12, 2009

Last year Dave Carroll witnessed United Airlines baggage handlers throwing and breaking his $3,500 guitar. After being told he would not be compensated for the damage, he vowed to write three songs, make music videos and publish them online to get revenge. This is the first. It became the first YouTube video ever to reach 2 million views in under one week.

July 10, 2009

Click here,to read Mark Cappello's interview with Michael-Andreas of Collideascope over at Canadian Animation Resources.It's a nice read, a great way for people to get more info aboutthe structure of the television animation business model inCanada, how it got there, and where it might be going.

It's a nice little clip that tells us a bit of the story of how the daughter of Jim Henson grew up in the very creative environment of her father's work and later how it influenced her career and her life.

July 04, 2009

I bought this book last week from Strange Adventures, and boy, am I ever glad I did! The selection of artwork, the design of the book, the writing is top-notch, and the print quality are all jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle ranks among one of my favorite cartoon/comic-related books ever. If you're a fan of the old Hey Look!, Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat, Help, Trump, and MAD comics, then you'll love this amazing book on the life and art of the awesomely gifted artist and editor known as Harvey Kurtzman.

We're only half way through the year and there's been two amazing films so far (Coraline, Up), and plenty more on the horizon before the year's end, I'm looking forward to Mr. Fox and Ponyo especially, here's a list of the 2009 line up:

CORALINE (2/6/09) Focus Features. (stop-motion puppets) D: Henry Selick. A young girl walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. Box office gross (as of 03/01/09): $61,145,000

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (3/27/09) Dreamworks (Paramount). D: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon. When a meteorite from outer space hits a young girl and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years.

BATTLE FOR TERRA (5/1/09) Lionsgate. D: Aristomenis Tsirbas. A peaceful alien planet faces annihilation, as the homeless remainder of the human race sets its eyes on Terra. Mala, a rebellious Terrian teenager, will do everything she can to stop it.

UP (5/29/09) Disney/Pixar. D: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson. By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. He soon learns he isn't alone on his journey.

PONYO (8/14/09) Walt Disney Pictures. D: Hayao Miyazaki. (hand drawn animation) A mermaid runs away from her home in the sea and befriends a five year old boy who lives on a cliff.

9 (9/9/09) Focus Features. D: Shane Acker. A post-apocalyptic nightmare in which all of humanity is threatened.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (9/18/09) Columbia. D: Phil Lord, Chris Miller. A scientist trying to solve world hunger encounters a problem of global proportions, as food begins to fall from the sky.

SITA SINGS THE BLUES (9/ /09) Shadow Distribution/Gkids. 82 mins. D: Nina Paley. Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama; Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by e-mail. An animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana, set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw.

ASTRO BOY (10/23/09) Summit Entertainment. D: David Bowers. Based on Osamu Tezuka's famous character about a super-powered robot created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, Astro Boy embarks on a journey in search of acceptance.

THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX (11/6/09) D: Wes Anderson. 20th Century-Fox. Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, look to get rid of their opponent and his family.

PLANET 51 (11/20/09) Tri-Star. D: Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad. The inhabitants of Planet 51 live in fear of alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when an astronaut arrives from Earth. Befriended by a young resident, he has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and try to return home.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (12/25/09) Disney. (hand drawn amimation) D: Ron Clements, John Musker. A fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans' French Quarter during the Jazz Age.

This documentary film is set in a working class suburb of Dublin. Roy, Ireland's only animated character was born into an ordinary 'live action' family. This film allows exclusive access into Roy's life where we learn of the prejudices he must overcome on a daily basis.